Dealcoholizing process



Q QD

original Filed Feb. '4.' 1918 June 9, 1925.

Patented J unel 9, 1925.

UNITED, .STATES I 1,541,296 rlnalajiA OFFICE.

WILLIAM, B. UIHIIIEIN, F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSI.

DEALCOHOLIZING PROCESS.

Continuation of application Serial No; 215,273, filed vFebruary 4, 1918. This application iiled January y 19, 1923. Serial No. 613,777.

Z-o ZZ lwhom z't'may/ concern.: Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. UIHLEIN, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Milwaukee, in thecounty of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Dealcoholizing Processes, of which the following is a speciication.

This invention relates to a dealcoholizing process. It is particularly adapted to dealcoholize beer -and thereby produce a dealcoholized beer, but it may e employed to treator dealcoholize other beverages or adapted to other purposes.

This application is a continuation of copending application Serial No. 215,273, filed February 4, 1918.

Apparatus for performing the process disclosed herein is set forth and claimed in co-,e

pending application Serial No. 613,778, filed January 19, 1923.

The previous processes merely comprehended passing the beer through a vacuum l5 and simultaneously heating it to volatilize` and thereby remove its alcohol.

If the beer in being dealcoholized is heated, even momentarily, to an excessive or high temperature, or heated an undue time to a lower tem erature, its color, flavor and characteristics ecome impaired due to loss of essential aromatics, caramelization of solid ingredients,l excessive concentration and other detrimental eifects upon its constituents.y l

In order-to produce dealcoholization lto the requifi'edextent in a given time, heat has to be imparted at a -given rate for a given time, the time being dependent'upon the rate at which the heat is imparted.`

Steam and hot water have both been tried to heatkand thereby dealcoholize the beer.

Steani, due to its latentheat, delivers heat at a high rate and produces practically instantaneous dealcoholization, but its temperature is so high, over two hundred .and twelve degrees Fahrenheit (212 E), that the beer is heated to an excessive or ,high temperature.

Hot water has a lower temperature but delivers heat at such a low `rate that the .beer has to'be heated an undue time.

The object of this-invention is to provide a process by which sufficient heat will be imparted to the beerunder a low temperature to producev practically instantaneous dealcoholization thereof.

Another object is to provide a process which will produce from an alcoholic beer a dealcoholized or nonalcoholic boer which has substantially the same color, flavor and characteristics as the original been Another object is to provide a which will expeditiously, economical y and commercially kdealcoholize beer.

@ther objects, purposes and advantages of this invention will appear from the process hereinafter disclosed.

In accordance with this invention, the beer is rapidlypassed through a high vacuum, and simultaneously heat is momentarily imparted thereto at a highrate under a low temperature. i

Steam is ordinarily employed to heat the IOCeSS suicientlyto remove its alcohol under a v high vacuum.

The beer is ordinarily preheated and degasified before it is dealcoholized, and then, after it has been heated and dealcoholized, 1t is immediately cooled.

' It is preheated to lessen the time and heat required for its dealcoholization and to facilitate its degasification.

It is degasied to keep it from producing excessive foam which would interfere with its dealcoholization. y

It is cooled immediately after it is dealcoholized to keep it from remaining at a temperature which might eventually impair its characteristics.

The invention resides primarily in rapidly passing the beer ythrou h a high vacuum and momentarily heating 1t therein by heat 1mparted thereto at a high rate under a low temperature.

Ordinarily the beer rapidly passes through a high vacuum, about 26% inches,

Aand the steam is kept under a vacuum-about 24 inches, 'so that the 'steam temperature is about onehundred and thirty-five degrees Fahrenheit (1359 F.), and the beer is only raised to a temperature of about one hundred and fifteen degrees Fahrenheit (115 F.):.

The beer is preheated from about forty degrees Fahrenheit (110o F.) to about ninety degrees Fahrenheit (90O F.) before it is heated to be dealcoholized.

The dealcoholized beer is immediately fooledF t o about forty degreesl Fahrenheit Of course, Ythese vacuums and tempera= tures may vary under different conditions.

This process may be performed by the apparatus which is shown inthe accompany'- ing drawing and wiil now be described, but of course, other apparatus may be employed.

The views in the drawing are as follows:

Fig. 1 is a schematic elevation of the entire apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional View of the degasiier on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

This apparatus comprises in general, the following main appliances designated by name uponl the drawing: Y Y

.(a) Preheater.Y i

(b) Degasifier.

pc) Evaporator.

(d) Cooler. Y

(e) Vacuum pumps.

The auxiliary appliances which may be associated therewith are also designated by name upon' the drawing. Y'

The main and auxiliary appliances are connected together by pipes in the way: shown in the drawing.

The beer passes from theV supply tank through the preheater, the degasifier, the evaporator and the cooler tothe Vstorage tank, it being carried from the supply tank to the preheater by the force pump land from the degasiier to the evaporator by the force pump 2.11

The beer in being dealcoholized is kept under a high vacuum bya vacuum pump 3 to enable its alcohol to be removed at a low temperature, and the steam for heating the beer is likewise kept under a high vacuum by a vacuum pump l so its temperature will below. j

The various appliances will now arately considered and explained.

Preheter.

be sep- I The preheater has a. sinuous pipe 5 through which the beer passes, and it is enclosed within a jacket 6 which is condegasified and dealcoholized.

The beer is preheated to -lessen the time .and thereby preheat the beer before 1t isl and heat required for dealcoholization and to facilitate its degasification.

Degasz'fier.

The degasifier has a cylindricaldegasifying chamber 7 in Q which 'i are arranged troughs 8, and this chamber has a top outet for the gas and ay bottom outlet for the eer.

The troughs are semi-circular and are arranged 'spirally in such a way that the beer which is delivered to the toptrough flows through the troughs successively and falls from each trough to the next-trough until it leaves the bottom trough.

The agitation which the beer receives in falling from one trough to another free-s its carbonic acid gas which separates from the beer and ascends to the gas outlet.

The beer is degasiiied sufiiciently tokeep it from producing excessive foam in the evaporator.

Euwpomto r.

spread, disperse or diffuse the beer to facilitate its being heated and dealcoholized and to increase the quantity thereof that may be dealcoholized in a given timeY underY a given heat.

The deflectors 18 and 14 arranged below the shed direct the ascending alcoholic vapors to the center and away from the `incoming and descending beer.

The heating chamber 1s surrounded by a steam jacket 15 to which steam is delivered from a steam pipe 16 through YYnozzles 17.

These nozzles are located or disposed in such a way as to distribute the steam throughout the steam jacketv and around the side walls' and bottom of the heating chamber, and the amount of steam admitted therethrough may be adjusted in any suitable way.

The evaporator has a high vacuum, for instance about `261/ 2 inches, maintained therein by the vacuum pump 3 to enable the alcohol to be volatilized and the beer dealcoholized at a low temperature, for instance about one hundred and fifteen degrees Fahrenheit' (115 F The steam jacket also has a for ,instance about 2li' inches, `maintained high vacuum,`

lll)

therein by vacuum pump 4 .to keep the steam temperature low, for instance about one hundred and thirty-five degrees Fahrenheit (135 F.). vThis steam temperature is suicient to heat the beer immediately to the required temperature, as the steam on account of its high latent heat may impart heat at a high rate even under aulow difference in ltoemperature between the steam and the eer.

The vacuum pump 3 is connected to the receiver by pipe 18 and to the storage tank by pipe 19, and in addition to maintaining a high vacuum in the evaporator, also maintains such vacuum throughout the entire system'and apparatus to facilitate the flow of beer therethrough and the removal of the gases and vapors therefrom.

The vacuum pump 4 is connected to the steam jacket by pipe 20 and while it is shown as connected to the bottom thereof, it may be connected at other places.-

While the evaporator set forth herein is particularly appropriate for its purpose, other' evaporators may be devised and employed in which the beer is heated only momentarily under a high vacuum and the heat is supplied by steam under a high vacuum or other agent which will deliver heat at a highrate under a low temperature. v l

The steam delivered' to the steam jacket may be automaticallyregulated in amount by a steam regulator.

This regulator, whichl is diagrammatically illustrated and may assume any suitable form, has a steam valve 21 which is operated by an air motor 22, the action of which is controlled by an air. controller 23 which has a thermometer 24 arranged Within the steam jacket to respond to the temperature therein.

' lVhenthe steam temperature decreases, the air controller causes the air motor to operate the steam valve to admit more steam, and when the temperature increases, the reverse action occurs.

Accordingly, the amount of steam is va-f riedupon variations 1n the steam temperal Cooler. v The cooler has a tank 25 in which isarranged a coiled or snuous pipe 26 in which the doalcoholized beer is cooled.

The tank contains brine or other cooling liquid in which the coiled pipe` is submer ed. l

T e dealcoholized beer is cooled imme- `diately after it leaves the evaporator so as to bring its temperaturebelow that` at which a detrimental action may commence upon its ingredients.

Auilzary Apparatus.

The preheater and degasifier are both connected to a condenser in which the vapors from the evaporator and thedegasilier are condensed.

The condensed vapor or distillate passes: into the receiver and then may be delivered to the distillate tank.

The low volatile aromatics which are volatilized and liberated in the degasifier,

the collector are provided with valves which' are normally closed but are. opened to allow the condensed vapors or disti-llates to run into the distillate tank.

Of course, the,auxiliary'apparatus need i not be employed so far as dealcoholizing the beer is concerned, as its purpose is merely to recover the substances and matters which are eliminated from the beer in the degasifier and evaporator.

Operation.,

The beer flows continuously and rapidly through the apparatus and it is spread or diffused in the evaporator so a large quantity thereof may be dealcoholized in a given time under a given temperature and heat.

It is kept under a "high vacuum .to enable its alcohol to be removed at a low temperature.

The steamremains at a low temperature by being kept under a. high vacuum, but its high latent heat which it delivers upon being condensed, enables 'it to impart heat at a s'uiicient rate to heat the beer practically instantaneously to the temperature required to vvolatilize and remove its alcohol.

' Commercially, the dealcoholized beer has to have less than one-half of one per cent (.5%) alcohol by volume.

This apparatus will readily dealcoholize to -that extent beer having two and one-half per cent (21%) to ve per cent (5%) alcohol. v

The beer in being dealcohol'ized is concentrated due to the loss in alcohol," water'and other ingredients, but as it is dealcoholized at a low temperature, the concentration may be as low as twenty per cent 'by volume.

Ordinarily the dealcoholized beer is diluted to restorethe water which was lost by concentration during its dealcoholization, and various ingredients may be added thereto to give it a particular color and flavor or other characteristics.

The dealcoholized beer obtained b this apparat-us and the process employed t erein retains substantially the same color, flavor and characteristics of the original beer, as its ingredients do not undergo any material change in its being dealcoholized under the low temperature, and so it does not have to be subjected to any subsequent treatment to make it palatable.

In practice, if the apparatus has an evapof rater with a heating wall about ten (10) feet in height and about nine (9) feet in diameter at its middle, it may be adjusted to dea-lcoholized beer having two and one-half per cent (2/2%) to five per cent (5%) alcohol by volume at the rate of about nine hundred (900) gallons per hour.

InA order to further explain the operation of this apparatus, the approximate vacuums, temperatures and results which may obtain vtherein are given below, but of course, these vacuums, temperatures and results may vary under different conditions:

Steam in steam jacket 135 Dealcoholized beer leaving evaporator-- 115 Beer leaving cooler Beer in storage tank 40 Results.

Amount of beerl dealcoholized, 900 gallon per hour. n

Alcohol by volume in original alcoholic beer, 3.2%.

4Alcohol by volume iin dealcoholized beer,

Concentration of beer by volume in being dealcoholized, 20%.

eov

What I claim is:

1. The herein described method of dealcoholizing an alcoholic beverage which consists in rapidly and unnterruptedly passing l r`tlgiembeverage through a high vacuum and momentarily imparting Heat thereto at a relatively high rate under a relatively low temperature while it is passing through thi-ie vacuum so as to volatilize and liberate alcohol practically instantaneously.

2. The herein described method of dealf coholizing an alcoholic beverage which consists in rapidly and uninterruptedly passing the beverage through a high vacuum, moy liberated underv a high vacuum, rapidly passing the beverage through a vacuum in an unretarded manner, momentarily and simul-y taneously imparting heat thereto at a high rate under a low temperature so as to volatilize and liberate alcohol practically stantaneously, and immediately, reducing the temperature of the beverage to: arrest the action of the heat thereon. i i

4. The method of removing alcohol from alcoholic beverages which consists in degasifying the beverage lrapidly and uninterruptedly `passing the degasiiied beverage through a high vaclium, momentarily and simultaneously imparting heat thereto at a relatively high rate under a relatively low temperature so as to volatilize and liberate alcohol practically instantaneously, and immediately cooling the beverage.

5. The method of dealcoholizing an alcoholic beverage which consists in quickly passing the beverage through a high vacuum in an unretarded manner, momentarily and simultaneously imparting heat thereto at a high rate under a low temperature so as to volatilize and liberate alcohol practically instantaneously, and immediately reducing the temperature of the beverage.

6. The method of removing alcohol from alcoholic beverages which consists in ra1s-. ing the temperature of the beverage from its normal temperature to about the; ternperature above which the alcohol will be volatilized and liberated therefrom under a high vacuum, rapidly and uninterruptedly passing' the beverage through a vacuum, momentarily and simultaneously imparting heat thereto at a high rate under a low temperature so as to volatil-ize and liberate alcohol practically instantaneously, and then immediately reducing the temperature of the beverage to about its normal temperature.

7. The method of dealcoholizing an alcoholic beverage which consists in degasifying the beverage, rapidly 'and uninterruptedly passing the degasitied beverage in a dispersed condition through a high vacuum,- and momentarily and simultaneously imparting heat thereto at a high rate under A,a

low temperature so as tovolatilize and liberate alcohol therefrom practically instantaneously under such vacuum.

8. The method of dealcoholizing beverages which consists in rapidly' and uninterruptedly passing the beverage in a thin film or .stream through a highvacuum, and momentarily and simultaneously imparting heat tarily imparting heat thereto from said surv face at a high rate under a low temperature so as to volatilize and liberate alcohol therefrom practically instantaneously under such vacuum.

11. The method ofremoving alcohol from 'beverages which consists in bringing` the 4beverage into contact With a heated surface under a high vacuum and momentarily imparting heat thereto from said surface at a igh rate under a low temperature so as to.

volatilize. and liberate alcohol therefrom practically instantaneously under such vacuum.-

12. The method of removing alcohol from alcoholic beverages which consists in passing the beverage in a thin lilm or stream down an inclined Wall of a vacuum chamber, and

momentarily imparting heat thereto from said Wall at a high rate under a low temperature so as to liberate alcohol therefrom practically instantaneously under a high vacuum;

13. The method of removing alcohol from alcoholic beverages which consists in bringing the beverage into contactwith a heated surface in a vacuum chamber, momentarily imparting heat thereto from said surface at a high rate under a low temperature so as to volatilize and liberate alcohol therefrom practically instantaneously. under a high vacuum, and maintaining said surface at a substantiall constant low temperature .which is substantially uniform throughout sald surface.

'l 14. The method of removing alcohol from p alcoholic bevera es which Aconsists 1n rapidly passing the everage over a heated surface in the form of a thm film, momentarlly imparting heat thereto from said surface at a high rate under a low temperature so as to volatilize and liberate alcohol practically instantaneolsly under a high vacuum, and then immediately cooling the beverage.

15. The method of producing a dealcoholized beverage in which an alcoholic beverage rapidly passes through a high vacuum and has heat momentarily and sin'xultaneously imparted thereto at a high rate under a low temperature. n y l 16. The method of producing a dealcoholized beverage in which an alcoholic beverage is degasified and then rapidly passes through a high vacuum and has heat mo-l mentarily and simultaneously imparted thereto at a high rate under a low temperature. v i

17 The method of producing a dealcoholized beverage in which an alcoholic beverage l rapidly passes through a high vacuum and has heat momentarily and simultaneously imparted thereto at a high rate under a low temperature and the dealcoholized beverage is then immediately and'rapidly cooled.

18. The method of producing a dealcoholized beverage in ywhich an alcoholic beverage is degasified and rapidly passes through a high vacuum and has heat momentarily and simultaneously imparted thereto at a high rate under a low temperature and immediately thereafter the dealcoholized beverage is rapidly cooled.

19. The method of producing a dealcoholized beverage in which an alcoholic beverage is preheated from its normal temperature to about its dealcoholizing temperature, then rapidly passes throu h a high vacuum and has vheat momentari y and simultaneously imparted thereto at a high rate under a low temperature and immediately thereafter the dealcoholized beverage is rapidly cooled.

20. The method of producing a dealcoholized bevera e in which an alcoholic beverage is preheate to about its dealcoholizing temperature and de asifed and then passes rapidly through a igh vacuum and hasheat momentarily and simultaneously imparted thereto at a high rate under a low temperature and immediately thereafter the deal `rapidly passes 4through a high vacuum and has heat momentarily and simultaneously imparted thereto from steam at a low temerature under a vacuum and immediately thereafter the dealcoholized beverage is rapidly cooled. l

23. The method of producing a dealcoholized beveragein which an alcoholic beverage is preheated and degasiied, then rapidly passes through a high vacuum and has heat 4momentarily imparted thereto from steam at a low temperature under a vacuum and immediate-ly thereafter Y the dealcoholized beverage is rapidly cooled.

26. The method of dealcoholizing'an alcoy holic beverage in which the beverage is preheated to about its dealcoholizing temperature, and then has additional heat momentarily imparted thereto from steam, a high vacuum being maintained on both the steam and the beverage.

27. The method of dealcoholizing an alcoholic heveragein which the beverage is degasified and has heat momentarily imparted thereto from steam, a high vacuum being maintained on both the steam and the beverage. i'

28. The method of dealcoholizing an alcoholic beverage in which the beverage is preheated to about its dealcoholzing temperature, then has additional heat momentarily imparted thereto from steam7 a high vacuum being maintained on both the steam and the beverage, and the temperature of the beverage thereafter immediately reduced to arrest the action of the heat thereon.. I 29. The method of dealcoholizing an alcoholic beverage in which the beverage is preheated to about its dealcoholizing temperature, degasified, then has heat momentarily imparted thereto from ste-am, a high vacuum being maintained on both the steam and the beverage, and the temperature of the beverage thereafter immediately reduced to arrest the action of the heat thereon.

30. A process forV dealcoholizing beer 'in which the beer is spread into a thin lilm and rapidly passed through a high vacuum and heat is simultaneously and momentarily imparted thereto at a high rate from steam under a high vacuum.

31. A process for dealcoholizing beverages in 'Which the beverage is rapidly passed through a high vacuum and momentarily has its temperature raised by heat imparted thereto at a high rate from steam at a loW temperature under a high vacuum.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed my namej.

' WILLIAM B. UIHLEIN. 

